Teachable moments to support social learning and executive functioning with children are scattered all throughout our daily routines. Cooking is a common household activity that can embed skills like following directions, sequencing, taking turns, joint attention, waiting, flexibility and conversation. As winter settles in, you can start a new tradition of cooking family-friendly recipes that…
Read MoreHalloween is right around the corner and there are so many teachable moments to encourage social and emotional development with children. Wonder Questions: This is a great way to get to know your friends better. Start by having your child ask their friends what they are going to dress up as for Halloween. They can…
Read MoreThe school year brings transitions, changes, and the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends. In our social groups at Communication Works, there are often new children joining the groups or some coming back from a summer at camp or traveling. Seeing new faces in a group brings the opportunity to practice getting…
Read MoreTeaching your child and helping them through their speech and language development can be fun. While playing and communicating with your child, find the right tools that can be enjoyed by everyone in the family. A toy is a toy but adding the family’s love and attention is a must. For children with speech &…
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SCERTS® is an innovative educational model for working with children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families. It provides specific guidelines for helping a child become a competent and confident social communicator, while preventing problem behaviors that interfere with learning or the development of relationships. It is also designed to help families, educators and…
Read MoreThis is a quick and easy game to help your child learn to recognize positive qualities in others and gives him or her an opportunity to hear positive things about him or herself from others. Catch the Compliment is an easy-to-learn game that can be played with all ages. Here’s how: Gather a selection of…
Read MoreIt’s that time of year where most parents are gearing up for the new school year to begin and also face the big transition from preschool to kindergarten. The question has been asked time and time again by all parents: “Is my child really ready for kindergarten?” All kids are different so there is no…
Read MoreFather’s Day is a wonderful time for to think about and focus on Dads, grandparents, uncles, significant others and friends. Encourage your child to step in the shoes of the person you are thinking about and develop a social story from that person’s perspective. Prior to Father’s Day, guide your child to start thinking about…
Read MoreSummer can be a blast but without a schedule or fun things planned, boredom can kick in and cause kids to act out. SomeWhatSimple.com came up with a “Summer Schedule For Kids” that gives parents theme days throughout the week. Here are some great ways to keep your child entertained throughout the summer while learning…
Read MoreThe first five years of a child’s life is a critical time for development and discovery of their speech, language, social, sensory and motor development. Identification and timing of early intervention (EI) services is essential for children as soon as they are demonstrating delays or deficits in their development. Although more than five million children…
Read Moreby Elizabeth Sautter, M.A., CCC-SLP Often adolescents and young adults who have lagging social and/or emotional skills do not have lagging biological drives. This can create an inconsistency between natural desires and the ability to control impulses in a socially expected manner. In the past year alone, therapists at CW have observed several improper behaviors,…
Read MoreBy Paulette Schafir, MOT, OTR/L, Occupational Therapist at CW Soggy shirt cuffs, toys with bite marks and pencils chewed with no erasers; these are often seen with children who are seeking oral input and spontaneously engage in “mouthing behaviors”. Of concern is not only safety, hygiene and dental/gastrointestinal integrity, but also impact in the social…
Read MoreBy Elizabeth Sautter, MA, CCC-SLP. “Baby It’s Cold Outside” by Dean Martin is one of my family’s favorite songs. It always cues us to make hot coco and popcorn, get cozy and be creative with some good, old fashioned, creative family time… indoors!
Read Moreby Elizabeth Sautter, MA, CCC-SLP & Sarah Ward, MS, CCC-SLP How many times have we, as parents and teachers, said to our children, “Pay attention!” or asked “Why aren’t you listening to me?” in a not-so-nice tone of voice. We give our children many directives, “Clean up the bathroom!”, “Get your backpack!”, “Put your homework…
Read MoreBy Elizabeth Sautter, MS, CCC-SLP. During the holidays, we were reminded of the importance of giving thanks. However, gratitude is an attitude we need to practice daily.
Read MoreBy Mary Keiger, Guest Blogger and Colleague of CW. Many children struggle to understand the hidden rules and expectations when participating in holiday functions with their friends and families.
Read MoreBy Rebecca Schwartz, Ph.D. Young children crave “special time” with their parents. What is “special time” and why is it so beneficial for you and your child?
Read MoreBy Elizabeth Sautter M.A. CCC-SLP. How many times have we, as parents and teachers said to our children, “Pay attention!” or asked “Why aren’t you listening to me?” in a not-so-nice tone of voice. We assume our children understand how to listen and what we mean by those words. When they don’t respond, it can be incredibly frustrating.
Read MoreBy Alanna Dutra, M.A., CCC-SLP – As speech-language pathologists, when working with families of young children with language delays, it is important to take the parents perspective and show understanding of their natural worry about their child’s prognosis or expected improvements.
Read MoreBy Robyn Wu, OTD, OTR/L, BCP. When engaging children in tabletop fine motor activities such as drawing or writing, it is important to determine whether the chair and table are a good fit for their body dimensions.
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